Reception activities other than dancing?

Generally people are more than happy for a chance to catch up and mingle

You could have horse shoes, a giant jenga game, giant tic tac toe board!

We couldn’t dance at my friends wedding so each person in the bridal party came up with two games and gave a speech. We only got to 1 game! The speeches were spread out nicely so it wasn’t a lot back to back and honestly it turned out beautifully. When there was down time people were mingling or eating. The groom and father also did a dance that everyone was able to do at their seat. You kinda stood up and followed their moves (which was mainly hand motions).

Oh forgot they also had a photo station with props but noticed a lot of people didn’t use the props but did take pictures in front of the set up the bride had (it was fairy tale so the backdrop was a castle).

View Quoted Comment There was also an article about alternative reception activities but I thought it would be weird to have a photo booth if there’s also going to be a photographer. Then again the photographer would be leaving the reception early since they’d be arriving before the ceremony to take pictures of everyone getting ready…

You could have a chess table, tic tak toe, etc. Just make sure to have sanitation wipes available

Talk and talk. 2 of the last 3 small Covid weddings I went to in summer had dancing. For couples that came together, within household. And one group of work buddies who work with each other up close every day, and sat close like one household, danced with each other. Way spread out. But it meant the 30-35 not dancing at any time had a quieter area to sit at well separated tables and talk.

View Quoted Comment I know for a fact I would enjoy dressing up and eating and talking with other people but lately it turns out the things I enjoy and things that I think people would enjoy aren’t the same and I don’t need anyone else upset with me for what I thought they would like.

View Quoted Comment That is not just weddings. Before covid, we stopped inviting some couples from our large loose rural " circle" to dinners and ( cards, pool, games, swim or boating, just talk) usual, because at several gatherings in a row, our house and a few others, they persistently want a tv on, and half or everyone on the same thing, or all on devices. All relatively new people who recently moved in, and the rest of us want socially oriented things, not to have everything directed from behind a screen. And we had a few long term rules, one, no social media or tv celebrity talk, and nothing argumentative, including the usual no politics or religion. And that is all these folks were interested in, when off screen. Two screaming matches in our living room, with 8 participating and 12 not, and similar within about 3 months at two other houses we were at, and a few we were not at.
After numerous years, most of us wanting the same thing, now some newbies, for whom the recipe was not right. And there were always people that our crowd did not socialize with much, independent circles with a little overlap, mostly on kids events. But the originals and newer like minded people met, and agreed that when we host, ground rules will be no screens, no social media talk, and no divisive topics.
Everyone is free to accept other invitations, or invite completely different people. But at some point, particularly as hostess, you set a model of what you want to see, and stand by it. You cannot please all the people all the time.

A lot of brides have been doing games. but as others have mentioned, its ok if there's no dance floor. i went to a wedding pre covid without one and everyone just mingled amongst themselves

Karaoke is always a winner in my book! Maybe bingo for like a prize of wine or to make it silly, and the winners get to dance on the dance floor to their favorite song; like 5 winners max! Table games like operation, monopoly, poker game maybe lol. Wedding AND a movie with maybe a popcorn bar. I think at this point anything can go and it'll all be unexpected lol. I think people will enjoy something fun after all we've been through!

We got married pre-Covid and we had a trivia game at our wedding. The shoe game with the couple is also fun. This past weekend we had our gender reveal and there were a total of 13 of us. We played card games like Spot It, Uno and Pit. It was so much fun. You could very easyily have card games at different tables. So people could pick which game they wanted to play.